The 1996 Mitsubishi Spyder has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 874,432 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the structure. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION00V4210012000-12-18567,432 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE RUBBER BOOTS ON THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION WERE DAMAGED DURING ASSEMBLY, DIRT AND WATER CAN INTRUDE. ALSO, MMC HAS ADDED THE POTENTIAL OF LEAKING MOISTURE, WHICH CAN CAUSE THE BALL STUD TO CORRODE.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT TO SEPARATE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH. THIS CAMPAIGN SUPERCEDES MMC'S PREVIOUS SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN, SEE 99V-066.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT FOR WEAR. BALL JOINTS THAT EXHIBIT WEAR BEYOND THE ESTABLISHED TOLERANCE WILL BE REPLACED WITH NEWLY DESIGNED LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS. BALL JOINTS THAT ARE WITHIN THE ESTABLISHED TOLERANCE WILL BE CLEANED AND A SPECIAL SEALANT WILL BE APPLIED TO PREVENT…
SUSPENSION99V0660011999-04-05307,000 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE RUBBER BOOTS ON THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION WERE DAMAGED DURING ASSEMBLY, DIRT AND WATER CAN INTRUDE.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT TO SEPARATE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE RUBBER BOOTS, AND IF THE BOOT IS DAMAGED, THEY WILL REPLACE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM AND BALL JOINT ON THE AFFECTED VEHICLES.
Complaints by component
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
2
Total complaints2
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“My convertible top the side braces where the top folds back bend. *ak”
“Convertible top frame warped not allowing the top to fully open without locking up. First incident was within one month of purchase and dealer adviced, in writing, to bring vehicle in due to defect problems with top of that model. After supposed repair top continued with same warping problem and…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1996 Mitsubishi Spyder as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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